The long and short of this review is thus: go see this now!

PuSh Festival - Stage Review

Show: No.2 

Company: Silo Theatre

Writer: Toa Fraser

Cast: Madeleine Sami

Venue: The Cultch, 1895 Venables St, Vancouver

Run: January 31st to February 4th, 2012

Time: 90 minutes

Reviewed By Alex Hutt

The long and short of this review is thus: go see this now! One woman/one man shows are always, if nothing, amazing in the fact that one actor/actress can perform so many roles, all at once. The catch of No.2 is that Madeleine Sami does it without being too erratic or indistinguishable.

In No.2, Nanna Maria, an old Fijian woman decides that today is the day she will name her successor. Yet it can’t be one of her children, as they are useless. So it has to be one of her grandchildren, of whom she all invites to her house for a feast. The ensuing line-up of the characters are every bit as interesting as the other. Tyson, who plays rugby in London, is also another kind of “player.” His latest flavor is Maria, a flighty English bird who has roots in Tuva. Hibiscus, the beauty queen who also models and acts, is quite self centered. Charlene is the one most predict to be named, as she is responsible and loyal to Nanna Maria. The youngest is seven-year-old Moses, whom later plays an important part in who will be successor. Sol is a young teen who often gets in trouble, though he freely admits that he does so. Rounding out the cast is Erasmus, whom Nanna tells straight up “It won’t be you,” but is reliable in his own way and Father Francis, the neighbourhood priest.

Sami has been performing the show since 1999, and her mastery shows in the inherent ability to magically switch ages momentarily. As Nanna, she appears so much older, hunched over with a scrunched, appraising expression and her forehead folded. But in the next moment she can appear bright eyed and young as Moses bounces on Nanna’s knee. She is also a comedian, which she incorporates seamlessly into the show, having several moments where the audience will be in stitches. One of the best was a discussion between Nanna and Maria; she portrays a drunken Maria like an apologetic valley girl and Nanna as stern, but with a healthy sense of humour. The transition between the two is what sells the comedy, as Maria will make a brainless comment, while sitting with her legs crossed. To show Nanna’s reaction, Sami will stamp her foot down, and put on a look of sheer amusement and disbelief. What only adds to the draw of Nanna’s character is that we are in on the joke with her. In one instance, Maria apologizes for the fight she caused between the boys. Nanna responds smartly, “Don’t be sorry dear, I’m having fun!”

These transitions between characters are quick and seemless, so much that you hardly notice her switching. The best example of it is in the scene where Maria and Sol start to dance with each other to rap music. Maria proceeds to show off exemplary break dancing skills, provided impressively in reality by Sami herself, to which she shows the reactions from six of the characters in a span of about five seconds. In addition to all this, it’s funny as hell.

Sami also paints the scene for us, as the only prop is a chair that Nanna sits in for most of the play. Using body language and posture, she can transition from location to location and from person to person. You won’t even notice that there is only one prop.

The only negative is that the character of Tyson was sometimes hard to distinguish from the other boys, but only for the first couple of times that you meet the character. The most enjoyable characters were definitely Nanna, Sol and Maria, the heart and comedy of No.2. Sami also made a good caricature of Father Francis, who isn’t a gambling man, but “much prefers poker.”

It’s also hard to guess who the successor will be, though it is fun to throw out theories. (Consequently, both my friend and I guessed wrong) No.2 is one of the shows to see at this year’s PuSh and is running until the 4th of February, this Saturday at the Cultch. Catch it while you can!

Written by :

alessandro